Biodynamic Cultivation

When harvesting nurturing plants for Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, we always look first to Dr Hauschka’s our own biodynamic garden, located directly behind the original company building in Eckwälden, a rustic agricultural town in southern Germany at the foot of the Swabian Jura Mountains.

The variety and diversity of the garden is remarkable: more than 150 different plant species flourish here, ready to be used in Dr. Hauschka Skin Care and WALA Medicines (made by WALA Heilmittel, the manufacturer of Dr. Hauschka Skin Care). The 44,515sm plot is continuously tended by six gardeners using biodynamic methods that meet Demeter and fair-trade standards whenever possible, considering how the soil, plants, animals and people work together in the garden. The garden has an array of different habitats: shady, wooded areas and sunny spots, a stream, a pond, windy corners and damp ones.  

Wherever possible, the biodynamic garden represents a closed cycle. The soil is regarded as a living organism. Plant materials from all times of year come together on the compost heap. The diversity offered by the garden is brought together in a single place. The compost is given plenty of time to mature; for two-and-a-half years, the plant materials are left to rot, experience the qualities of the different seasons and form something new. This is an intensely harmonious process. After all, harmony means bringing together contrasting elements to form a uniform whole.

You could refer to these as the heart of the garden. Not only do they provide fertilizer for the beds, but mature compost also helps to regulate and mediate the processes in the garden and improves the soil’s structure and promotes the healthy growth of the plants. Compost is spread on the beds at different times. Each plant species is given just the right amount of compost for its needs, under the watchful eye of its designated gardener. Once administered, the compost acts like an invigorating mediator. It transfers the harmony of its rotting process to the plants. Over time, their work has made the soil fertile and crumbly. Plant growth becomes more regulated as though the compost teaches the plants to find the right balance. The plants become more resistant to pests and turn into powerful plants for WALA Medicines and Dr. Hauschka Skin Care.

 Their leaves, petals, fruits and roots are manually harvested year-round according to their individual’s optimum harvest timing. Fortunately, the plant laboratory is located right next to the garden so freshly harvested plants can be taken straight there for processing.

Even the seeds that develop into cultivated seedlings for 25,000 young plants come from the garden. The biodynamic garden is as closed and self-sustaining a cycle as possible—and it also provides a habitat for wild plants and animals. It is a true testament to the vision of Dr. Hauschka and the power of biodynamic cultivation

100% natural organic

Dr. Hauschka’s entire range is certified with the international quality seal for natural and organic cosmetics, Natrue. At www.natrue.org you can find the certifications given to the individual Dr. Hauschka products. Each complete product formulation is audited every two years.

NATRUE Certification Guarantees:

• Truly natural and organic ingredients
• Sustainable production processes
• Environmentally friendly practices
• No synthetic chemical fragrances, colours or preservatives
• No silicones or petrochemicals
• No irradiation of end products or herb ingredients
• No GMOs

Dr. Hauschka goes over and above these strict NATRUE guidelines as WALA continues to grow and source as many ingredients biodynamically in addition to Natrue’s recommendation of organic and wild crafted ingredients. The NATRUE label is our customer’s guarantee that our products are authentically natural and organic. Products that are free from synthetic chemical fragrances, colours and preservatives, mineral oils, silicones and PEG, no animal testing, social and ecological responsibility.

Dr Hauschka’s product formulas depend on the high quality of the natural raw ingredients, and also on the care with which they were grown and processed. The ingredients come together to form complex compositions made up of more than just the sum of their components. Only when their ingredients interact and are supported by the rhythmic manufacturing procedure do the products take on their unique quality that enables them to stimulate the skin’s natural activity.

Every single ingredient that goes into a Dr. Hauschka product has an important job to do for your skin. Dr Hauschka’s formulations are without fillers and preservatives that are included for conventional products, not your skin. With Dr. Hauschka Skin Care each ingredient is also chosen for its effect on the three layers of skin. Whether delivering essential moisture, encouraging resilience, nourishment, protection from the environment, improving efficacy or for the senses as well as your skin in the form of essential oils. Each element is thoughtfully selected with a depth of knowledge, for its effects, and its interaction with the other ingredients in the composition and in conjunction with Steiner’s philosophy.

Dr. Hauschka Quality

• Authentic natural and organic skin care and make-up, certified to NATRUE standards
• Free from chemical/synthetic fragrances, dyes and preservatives
• Free from mineral oils, parabens, silicone and PEGs
• Dermatologically tested for sensitive skin
• Wherever possible, all raw materials come from controlled organic or biodynamic (Demeter certified) cultivation and are recovered under fair conditions
• No Animal testing is done

Social responsibility

Right from the beginning in 1935 that continues to this day, the founder of Dr. Hauschka manufacturer WALA Heilmittel embarked on a mission "to support the healing of humanity and the earth.

The company's business practices, production methods and the very nature of the company's products themselves are inspired by the vision of a culture of care, from the ecologically conscious methods of growing and sourcing ingredients to the one-of-a-kind manufacturing processes and international fair trade initiatives.

Dr Hauschka, known for its purity and efficacy is helping people to nurture their health and beauty as well as inspiring them to recognize and foster beauty and well-being in others. Dr Hauschka works with the World Hunger Organisation and is active in the local communities to engage in projects the world over that help transform the disadvantaged into being self-reliant and economically sustainable.

Examples of which can be seen in the shea butter cooperative of Burkino Faso, Africa, the rose cultivation project in Ethiopia and Afghanistan and the organic castor oil and mango butter initiatives in India. The cultivation of organic roses used in our rose day cream provides more than 400 local farmers in Afghanistan with an alternative to growing opium poppies used to produce heroin.

Wherever possible, we conserve resources. Even the packaging we use is easy to recycle and we procure 100% certified green electricity used in our work space. It includes you, your family and our local and global communities. As individuals and as groups, we can all impact and influence each other to do good.

Natural Beauty

For over forty-seven years, Dr. Hauschka Skin Care products, signature facial treatments and business practices have been based on a "holistic" philosophy. Our 100% natural skin care products are based on an understanding of the way skin works and its relationship with overall health, the goal being skin that is balanced and able to perform its natural functions without dependence upon a slew of products.

A Dr. Hauschka Skin Care regimen works best when part of a healthy lifestyle supported by diet, exercise and contemplative practice. All of these factors help to reconnect us with our natural rhythms, and have a profound effect on skin health and beauty. All are a part of Dr. Hauschka's holistic approach.

When it comes to any one action we take or any one decision we make, we take the time to look at the repercussions and ramifications it may have on our skin, our health, our communities and planet:

• Our products are certified natural, containing the highest-quality plant and mineral ingredients
• We carefully choose every ingredient based on its individual effects on the skin, as well as the way it interacts with other ingredients
• We carefully research every plant’s origin, making sure it comes from an ecologically and ethically sound source
• We carefully design and manufacture packaging that enables us to keep our products free of artificial preservative

Healing Plants

Biodynamic agriculture, a farming method, developed by Dr. Rudolf Steiner in 1924, regards the garden as a more or less closed system. Most of the seeds, compost and potting compost are self-produced. The gardeners use various plant preparations which help the compost to decompose better and strengthen the resistance of the plants to pests and disease.

Working by hand is essential when dealing with plants. When sowing and harvesting the WALA gardeners work with the rhythms of Nature. Strong, healthy plants with the highest vitality are the result. The right basis for our products.

All ingredients in Dr. Hauschka products have a function and a purpose. Careful thought goes into the selection and sourcing of the raw materials as well as the way in which the individual ingredients are combined to form complete Dr. Hauschka products. And our ingredients always adhere to the highest quality standards.

Plants that Dr Hauschka uses as ingredients include Acerola, Almond Tree, Anthyllis, Apple, Apricot, Argan Tree, Arnica. Avocado, Barberry, Birch, Bitter Orange, Blackthorn, Borage, Buckwheat, Cacao, Cardamon, Calendula, Candelilla, Carnauba, Carrot, Cassava, Castor Oil Plant, Chicory, Coconut, Comfrey, Daisy, Dog‘s Mercury, Echinacea,  Eyebright, Field Horsetail, German Chamomile, Goldenrod, Greater Burdock, Hay flower, Hawthorn, Hops, Horse Chestnut, Ice Plant, Jojoba, Kalanchoe, Lavender. Lemon, Lemongrass, Macadamia, Madonna Lily, Mango, Marsh Mallow, Melissa, Mistletoe, Mustard, Nasturtium, Neem, Norway Spruce, Olive, Pomegranate, Potentilla, Quince, Raspberry, Red Clover, Rose, Rosemary, Sage, Sandalwood, Sea Buckthorn, Sesame, Shea Tree, Small Nettle, St. John’s Wort, Stone pine, Sunflower, Tea, Wild Pansy (Heartsease), Witch Hazel, Wood Sorrel

Calendula:

Why is calendula used as an ingredient in Dr. Hauschka products?

Marigolds impress with their unbelievable vitality. As soon as they have formed a bud at the top of the first stem, further stems with buds grow from the leaf axils (the upper angle of a leaf stem where it meets the plant stem). More leaf stems then grow from the leaf axils, from which more stems are produced and so on. The marigold’s love of repeat flowering is simply unquenchable. It blossoms until the first frost, neglecting its root development while doing so. Cut off the flower heads and marigolds will respond by producing more buds. Thus, their exuberance is restrained. The stem is enveloped in formative resins and the structured arrangement typical of composite (daisy family) plants can be seen in the flower heads. The energy packed marigold offers its regenerating and structuring powers to rough, irritated and sensitive skin. It helps to fortify unstable skin barriers, minimize the appearance of blemishes and soothe irritated skin. Marigold’s strong nurturing properties makes it a highly valued plant in skin care products. Its inner substances include flavonoids, triterpene alcohols, essential oils and carotenoids, which are soothing, anti-oxidative and calming. It also features soothing mucilages.